Origin and establishment of Christianity in Armenia Essay

Origin and establishment of Christianity in Armenia - Essay Example The foundation of the Armenian Apostolic Church was continued by St. Bartholomew, another Christ’ disciple, who came to Armenia and preached mostly in the province of Siunik, where he martyred. He is probably mentioned in the gospels under the name of Nathanael. He started his preaching in Armenia in the Koghtan region where he founded a church. Two apostles started two lines of bishops, the Sees of Ardaz and Siunik. Notwithstanding the lack of written documents or objective evidence, as well as gaps in the lines, historians have to admit the succession of bishops basing on the tradition. According to different versions, the See of Ardaz is ascribed from seven to nine bishops, including Zaharia, Zementus, Atrnerseh, Moshe, Sghahen, Shavarsh, Ghevondius, and Mehoroujan, with a name missing for the years 193-230 and eight or five bishops, the successors of St. Bartholomew. The two sets were not independent of each other but had the same centers in Edessa and Caesarea.The amount of Christian enlarged steadily, though the persecutions continued. The Armenian King Sanatruk was followed by Vaharsh, Khorsov I and Trdat III. However, it was during the reign of the latter that Christianity was established as an official church of the Armenia, which is said to be the first precedent in the world’s history. The adoption of Christianity by Trdat is surrounded with legends that much influenced the religious literature of Armenia created in the following centuries and shaped the religious outlook of the people.